FAQ’s

Why was I automatically enrolled? Nobody told me this was happening.

The process is mandated by state law, but as a consumer-choice-driven organization, you always have a choice on who you decide to work with for electricity generation.

While we believe the combination of competitive rates and cleaner energy is the best choice for healthy communities, you can opt out of SDCP service at any time via our websiteor by calling our Contact Center at (888) 382-0169.

We send all customers two pre-enrollment notices as well as two post enrollment notices during the enrollment period. And we are making sure to get out into the community, like we’re doing today, to educate the community on who we are and what we do.

My bills have never been higher. Especially over the Summer…was this because we moved over to your service?

Both SDCP & SDG&E Summer rates are effective from June 1 to October 31 each year.

Summer $/kWh rates are much higher than Winter rates and bills during the Summer will likely be much higher as a result even if usage was comparable to previous billing cycles during the Winter period. This is often the case for customers as they cross over into the summer period.

This is the case for all customers, regardless of your electric generation provider.

SDCP has partnered with Ohm Connect to help customers save on their bills – especially during the summer period. Qualifying customers can get a $50 credit as well as discounted smart thermostats for their home which can help save power when it’s most expensive.

What are your rates? Is this a bait and switch? Are you more expensive than SDG&E?

SDCP strives to maintain competitive rates with SDG&E – and we always post our rates on our website where you can easily compare our rates with SDG&E.

Unlike SDG&E, SDCP rates are set by our Board of Directors during publicly noticed meetings – and we encourage our customers to be involved throughout the rate setting process.

SDCP supports choice for our customers to make an informed decision, whether that is to remain in our service at the PowerOn level receiving 50% renewable, 5% carbon-free power, opting up to our 100% renewable, 100% carbon-free service, Power100, or opting out entirely from SDCP and returning to SDG&E for electric generation services.

You can make changes to your account by calling us at (888) 382-0169 and answering the prompts or speaking to one of our Contact Center representatives, or through our website at SDCommunityPower.org.

Power100 is an added charge on top of our standard PowerOn rates, and is based on your usage. Power100 is determined by your total monthly kWh times $0.0075 (in other words, Power100 is $0.0075 per kWh).

Right now, it costs the average San Diego household about $3 to $5 more per month than base rates to upgrade to 100% clean, carbon-free energy.

We are focused on equipping our customers with the tools to understand their rates and charges on their bills through our Bill Comparison Estimator, our Bill Explainer video and ourJoint Rate Comparison, which displays a side-by-side comparison to SDG&E’s rates. These are online tools available on our website.

Is this going to be another charge on my bill?

San Diego Community Power’s replacement charges for electricity generation are included as a line item on your utility bill. SDG&E will continue to charge for the transmission and delivery of electricity, along with a variety of other regulatory and program charges at the same rates they always have.

SDG&E will still be responsible for their poles and wires. Any power outages should be reported to SDG&E.

SDG&E will still be responsible for any meter reading, changes, or repairs. Please reach out to SDG&E with any meter questions or concerns.

There are no duplicate charges for electricity generation, as SDCP is simply replacing SDG&E as the electric generation provider for customers in our service territory.

If you have additional questions about your bill, we have a great explainer video on our website that will walk you through it, step by step. We also have trained service matter experts that will be happy to answer your specific billing questions. You can call us at (888) 382-0169 or email us at customerservice@sdcommunitypower.org.

Does this mean I call your company during a blackout?

SDG&E continues to deliver the power to customers and is responsible for the maintenance and reliability of the power grid. Public Safety Power Shut-offs are initiated by SDG&E and are not controlled by SDCP. To report an outage or view current outages, we encourage customers to visit SDG&E’s website.

I heard something about an “Exit Fee” (PCIA). What is it? Do I have to pay this charge if I leave your service?

The Power Charge Indifference Adjustment, or PCIA, is a fee assessed by SDG&E that is intended to ensure that customers pay for energy that was contracted by SDG&E to serve them. The PCIA is not a new charge and is assessed to all customers, whether you are enrolled in SDCP electric generation services or not.

When customers receive transmission, delivery, and generation services from SDG&E, the PCIA is embedded in SDG&E’s electric generation rates and the PCIA charge is broken out under the “Breakdown of Current Charges” on the right-hand side of the bill. After a customer transitions into SDCP service, the PCIA is outlined as a separate line item in the SDG&E Electric Delivery Charges section of the bill. What is most important to know is that SDCP’s rates – even with the PCIA charge included – will still be competitive with SDG&E’s rates.

In other words: The PCIA has always been assessed. When you were only an SDG&E customer (receiving both transmission AND generation services from SDG&E), the PCIA cost was embedded in SDG&E’s generation charges. On bills where you were not enrolled in SDCP service, you could see the PCIA outlined on the right-hand side of the bill under the “Breakdown of Current Charges”. When you are an SDCP customer, you can see this charge as a separate line item since it is not an SDCP charge.

Where is this renewable power coming from?

SDCP purposefully maintains a diverse portfolio of renewable energy sources from various renewable energy generators – mostly from in state. 

These include solar farms, wind farms, geothermal, and small and large hydro.

SDCP is also contracting with several local projects that will bring significant solar and battery storage capacity to the Southern California region.

[Some TP about ensuring we aren’t building on tribal/sacred land – not sure how we can promise this, or if its considered?

How can you guarantee the power I’m receiving is actually renewable?

SDCP just published its annual Power Content Label, which shows the sources of energy is coming from, and, importantly, the “mix” of power for our two service options, PowerOn and Power100.

It is true that there is no such thing as a “renewable” electron. The power that’s going to your house or business is blended with all other power sources.

But we account for all of our customers usage and, once the renewable power is purchased, retire the Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) on behalf of our customers – that way we can ensure that every kilowatt of power that our customers use is accounted for through our power procurement.

So what does it mean if I opt up? What are Power100 charges for?

When you opt up to Power100 service, we are required to purchase the amount of energy you use from 100% renewable sources on your behalf.

The $0.0075 per kWh charged for Power100 service reflects SDCP’s cost for procuring the related energy supplies and contributes to the growth and development of local renewable generating projects. By opting up to Power100, customers are contributing to 100% renewable energy advancement while helping to spur the development of renewable sources to help us achieve our goal of entirely clean and renewable electricity by 2035 or sooner.

I’m a solar customer, how does this impact me?

SDCP does offer a net energy metering (NEM) program for existing and new customers that install solar systems or other generating systems.

NEM customers will be enrolled into our service at the time of their annual true-up.

Our NEM program functions similarly to SDGE’s except for two main differences.

First, we settle and bill monthly to avoid large bills at your true-up. A yearly settlement and billing option that is similar to SDG&E is available for customers as well – which can be a better option for customers who are consistently net-generators year after year.

• Customers can request annual NEM billing at the time of their true up by calling our contact center (888) 382-0169  or, more easily through SDCP’s website.
• As an incentive for generating clean electricity, customers that are producers of excess electricity at the end of their 12-month relevant period will be compensated at our Net Surplus Compensation rate, which pays an additional $0.0075 per kwh more than SDG&E’s NSC rate.

More info at https://sdcommunitypower.org